Public data · Free to use
California Data Center Power Rules: Large-Load Tariffs and State Law
How California’s utilities and lawmakers handle data-center-sized power requests: 2 utilities and 2 state measures, compiled from public filings, with a source on every entry.
Last checked October 22, 2026All states
Utilities
California utilities and their large-load rules.
Pacific Gas and Electric (PG&E)
CA · CAISO · PG&E Corporation
ApprovedJul 2025Electric Rule 30 (interim), transmission-level service
California regulators approved an interim PG&E rule for very large loads that pay up front for transmission work, with refunds still undecided.
- Applies to: Transmission-level interconnections
- Available only to customers that agree to pay up front for needed transmission work
- Refund terms and cost sharing left to a final CPUC decision
Sources: California Public Utilities Commission, CPUC Streamlines Electric Grid Connections for High-Energy Users Like Data Centers and EV Chargers (2025); Stoel Rives, CPUC Weighs Cost Recovery for Interconnection of Large Load, Including Data Centers (2025)
Southern California Edison
CA · CAISO · Edison International
No specific rule foundNo SCE-specific large-load tariff found; under a 2026 state law, SCE must file data center tariffs that the CPUC sets by January 1, 2028.
Sources: Mayer Brown, California's Governor Signs Nation's Most Comprehensive Data Center Laws, Reshaping Regulation of Energy, Water and Land Use (2026); Ballard Spahr, California Signs Sweeping Data Center Energy Laws (2026)
State law and regulation
California laws and rulemakings.
enacted · 2025
SB 57 (2025)
Directs the CPUC to assess whether utility costs for new data center load shift costs to other customers, with the assessment due January 1, 2027.
enacted · 2026-09
SB 886 and related data center package (2026)
Directs the CPUC to set data center tariffs by January 1, 2028 so operators pay their upgrade and generation costs, with a 10-year early termination fee.
What this can and can’t tell you
The rules are public. Whether your site can get power isn’t.
Anyone could pull these filings; we compile them so they’re easy to find. Terms change often, so confirm them with the utility or the commission docket before relying on them.
This tracker · Public, free
- A utility’s published rules for large new loads
- The same answer for every site in that utility’s territory
- What the terms are if power is available
- Compiled from filings anyone can read
A BlackForge report · Site-specific
- Whether a specific parcel can actually be served, and roughly when
- Substation headroom and the realistic connection path
- Gas, water, fiber, buildable land and zoning, checked together
- Built and refreshed for your load, your timeline and your parcels
Cite this tracker
BlackForge Data Centers. "California data center power rules," Large-Load Power Tracker. Last checked October 22, 2026. https://www.blackforgedatacenters.com/data-center-power-tracker/california
Free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 with credit.
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